September 23, 2014
Labour blood-letting brought forward
David Cunliffe has pushed the fast forward button on the Labour leadership contest, saying he wants to get the inevitable showdown over before Christmas.
Mr Cunliffe is under fire for what was Labour's worst result for 90 years, with support for the party dropping almost 10 percent from when he took over the leadership from David Shearer a year ago.
He says the party needs to fix its problems quickly, stop the leaks and infighting, and confirm a leader who may or may not be him.
One of his supporters, Hauraki-Waikato MP Nanaia Mahuta, agrees Labour shouldn't spend too much time reflecting on its election trouncing.
"There are too many people relying on Labour being a strong Opposition and being a united one. I'm all for reflecting on what happened but I'm not going to sit there for the next three years. We've got to bite the bullet, get on with it, learn from those mistakes, move on," he says.
Ms Mahuta says winning back three Maori seats was a highlight of a difficult election, and the party needs to look at how it can deliver Maori expectations and give voice to the key issues affecting Maoridom.
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WIWTH NANAIA MAHUTA CLICK ON THE LINK
https://secure.zeald.com/uma/play_podcast?podlink=MjIzMzc=
Copyright © 2014, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com